JW, here (finally) are some bread recipes. The first one is for just plain white bread, and gives a lot of how-to information.

CLASSIC FRENCH BREAD

This is the most basic and easiest of all breads to make. I wrote out every detail for those who haven’t made bread before. It contains no fats or oils so it is also very healthy. It does however contain a lot of calories, as ordinary flour contains about 450 calories per cup, and this recipe has 5 to 5½ cups of flour in it.

To that dry mixture, add and stir immediately (use a wooden spoon if you have one):

2 cups water, 130 degrees, or as hot as it will come out of your hot water faucet.

When stirred to a smooth batter, add one more cup of flour and stir it completely in. Then add another cup of flour (making 5 cups in all) and stir that in until completely mixed in. The dough will be sticky at this point. Dust flour onto a clean kitchen counter top and dump the dough out of the bowl onto the flour. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and begin to knead it. Knead the dough for 5 full minutes, adding as little flour as needed to just keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Make a mental note how stiff or pliable the dough feels. If too soft, it won’t support itself during rising and the loaf will be flat. If too stiff, the dough won’t rise correctly, and the bread will be very dense. Make a note, see how your bread turns out, and then adjust the next time.

Take a clean, large bowl and lightly oil the inside with cooking oil (or Pam spray). Place the dough into the bowl, press it down, and then turn it over so both sides will be oiled. Put a towel over the bowl and let it sit somewhere (doesn’t have to be very warm, ordinary room temperature is fine) until it has risen and the dough looks to be about twice as big as it was (doubled), about one hour (can leave it 2 hours).

When doubled, dump the dough out onto a clean counter (not floured), and pound it flat with the flat of your hand or a rolling pin. Hit it hard, as this makes the bread more even textured. When pounded out flat, roll the dough up tight like a jelly roll, being careful to not trap air between the layers. When rolled up, pinch the last edge of the dough to the rest of the roll so it won’t unroll. The “seam” that is up now will be the bottom of the bread. Fold the ends toward the seam just enough to catch all the loose edges there too, and pinch that shut.

Place the rolled dough, seam side down onto a greased baking sheet. Try to make the rolled up dough about 1-inch shorter than the pan on each end. Cover loosely with a towel, and pre-heat your oven to about 400 degrees. (If your oven cooks hot, turn it to 375.) Allow the dough to “double” again ( this time it may take less time than before). Before you bake the bread, there are all kinds of “glazes” you can put on it, or you can put none at all. My favorite is called a rich egg glaze. Take one egg, add 1 Tbls water, and beat it up until it is frothy. If you have a pastry brush, paint in all over the top of the risen dough. If you don’t have a brush, roll up a small piece of paper towel and use the end like a brush. You can now sprinkle the top with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or nothing. Then take a very sharp knife (I use a razor blade) and cut several diagonal slashes on top that are about ¼ inch deep. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 35 minutes. The bread will get dark tan, but should not turn very dark brown. If it does, then your oven cooks hot, and next time turn the heat down about 25 degrees and cook for the same amount of time. When done, remove the bread from the oven, take it off the baking sheet, and cool it on a cooling rack for an hour. It is best if eaten within 24 hours, but it freezes well for a month.

To knead bread, put the heel of your hand on the dough and push down and away from you, stretching the dough out 2 or 3 inches away from you. Turn the dough 90 degrees Fold the top half of the dough towards you, and repeat the process over and over. If the uncooked loaf appears to be flattened out after it has risen, there was not enough flour in it. Just note this and add more the next time. Or, you can just take the risen bread and knead more flour into it, re-form the loaf and let it rise again. When you cut fresh bread, use an exaggerated sawing motion with a very sharp (preferably serrated) knife. If you put too much downward force on the knife during slicing, you will just smash the bread. Have fun!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seven Grain BreadFor 12-inch Dutch Oven

In a large casserole, mix together 2 cups of water and 1 cup of 7 grain cereal and nuke for 7 minutes. Cool when done.

Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture in the large bowl. Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and then add about 4 more cups of white flour to get a medium dough.. Knead 5 minutes. Allow to double. Punch down and form into loaves. Allow to double and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or so.

Fits in a 12-deep oven or a regular 14. Bake for 1 hour from a cold start with 1 ring under and 1½ rings on the lid. If you oil the oven well and sprinkle a generous amount of cornmeal in the bottom of the oven, it will not stick. Allow the final rise to be in the Dutch oven so you can just add charcoal when ready to cook. If the bread tries to burn on top, place aluminum foil over it that has been crumpled and then flattened out and it will not burn. If the bread has risen too much before cooking, put your fist gently down the middle all the way to the bottom of the pot and then start cooking it.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Place all dry ingredients with only 3 cups of flour into a mixing bowl, and mix thoroughly. Add hot water and quickly mix into a batter. Add rest of wet ingredients and mix in. Slowly add flour until dough is medium stiff. Knead 15-20 minutes if by hand, or 10 minutes if with mixer with dough hook. Let rise to double, punch down, and form into a loaf. Place on a cookie sheet, allow to rise to double, and bake at 400 for 10 minutes and then turn oven down to 350 and bake 30 more minutes. There will be little oven spring while baking.

I use hot water right out of the faucet. Mix in quickly or it will kill the yeast. The dry ingredients cool the batter.

Instead of Granola, you can use one cup of cooked 9 grain cereal. It takes more flour to get this dough stiff. Another ingredient is one cup dry oat meal flakes instead of granola. Add anything you want. Makes great rolls too.

About 2 to 3 more cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour to get a medium dough. Allow to rise to double, form a loaf, rise to double, bake in a loaf pan at 375 for 40 minutes. Cool on a rack, slice and enjoy. Freezes well.

Turn out on well-floured board, sprinkle with 1/2 cup flour and knead for 5 minutes.

Sit in warm place, cover and let rise until double (45 minutes to 1 hour). Punch down and let rise for 45 minutes. Punch dough down and form into a round loaf. Place dough into Dutch oven and let it rise until only half doubled.

Charcoal needed: 1 ring on the bottom and 1-1/2 to 2 rings on top.

Bake 45 minutes to one hour until the crust is dark brown and sounds hollow when you thump it with you finger. Cool on racks.

CHARCOAL DEFINITIONS AND GUIDELINES 1 - ring : A circle of briquettes touching each other (with spaces open for legs on the bottom ring), with the outside edge of the briquettes even with the outside of the oven. 1/2 ring: The same circle but every other briquette is missing 2 - rings: One ring inside the other with both rings touching full spread: Put all the briquettes you can, one layer deep

Add the flour mixture slowly with mixing until a medium, sticky dough is formed. Knead the dough 5 minutes and put it in an oiled bowl, turn it once to oil both sides, and cover it. Allow to rise to double, punch down, form 2 loaves and put into 5 x 9 or 4 x 8 pans, or form into one French bread shaped loaf on a cookie sheet. Rise to double, bake 350 for 40 minutes. Remove from pans, cool on wire rack. Brush tops with butter.

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